Mockingbird
by SheFallsAsleep
Summary: "Ezra had broken up with her in hopes that she would find someone better. Someone who she could take home to her parents and walk around with in public. But he stilled missed Aria. In fact, he still loved her." Read&Review!
1. Chapter 1

Aria Montgomery missed Ezra Fitz. It was as simple as that.

_This won't work out in the end._

His last words to her before walking away. It had been over 2 months and Aria still hurt.

Hanna had insisted on taking her out for shopping which was probably for the best; Aria hadn't been very social lately. Reluctant, she pulled on her brown, lace-up boots and grabbed her leather jacket, making her way towards Hannah's car. The girls made some small talk, but Aria wasn't in much of talking mood.

"Hey, let's go to Macy's. I want to get something for Caleb," said Hanna.

"Ok"

Aria was making her way around a colorful stack of men's shirts when a man suddenly turned the corner and bumped right into her.

"Oh! Sorry, I-"

Aria looked up into the familiar eyes of Ezra. A moment passed.

"Aria, where are you?" Hanna called out. She made her way to Aria and quickly realized what had just happened. "Mr. Fitz." She said in a rude tone.

"Hanna! Er..I was just going. Ni-nice seeing you two," he said quietly before walking off quickly.

Ezra stopped walking after a safe distance. He couldn't believe what had just happened. 2 months ago, he decided to do the right thing for Aria. Ezra had broken up with her in hopes that she would find someone better. Someone who she could take home to her parents and walk around with in public. But he stilled missed Aria. In fact, he still loved her. _I don't know if I can stay away from her anymore, _he thought.

Ezra sat at his desk attempting to vent out his feelings for Aria in a poem, but he couldn't put his emotions into words. The buzzing of his phone against the wood of his desk alerted him.

"Hello?"

"Hi Ezra, its Ella Montgomery," said a woman.

"Hello," Ezra said politely. "How can I help you?"

"Rosewood was thinking of having some colleges come and talk to the students. Since you know the students, I thought you would be a good representative for Hollis!"

"Oh, I'm not sure, Ella. My schedule is really busy," Ezra lied. As much as he wanted to, he wasn't sure if it was a good idea to see Aria.

"Well, you can take a look at your schedule and just let me know if it works out for you!"

"Ok, I'll do that! Bye"

Ezra hung up the phone and thought about Ella's proposal. _What's the worst that can happen? _He thought.


	2. Chapter 2

Ezra Fitz looked in the mirror and straightened his tie. Walking out of the staff bathroom, he looked around the familiar halls of Rosewood High wondering where Aria could be at the moment. This thought was soon interrupted when he spotted Aria walking down the hall towards him. Her brown hair billowed in gentle waves past her shoulders, contrasting with the soft ivory shirt she wore. Aria looked up and noticed Ezra.

She stopped in the hallway suddenly. Ezra longed to know what she was thinking. She looked surprised, but in a good way or a bad way? Was she angry at him for showing up so unexpectedly?

Aria's heels clicked against the tiles as she made her way towards him. She was definitely mad.

"What are you doing here, Ezra?"

"Aria," Ezra blurted, unable to stop himself. "I love you."

Aria couldn't believe what was happening. She had no contact with Ezra for 2 months and suddenly he's at Rosewood telling her that he loves her? Aria had no idea what to say for a moment.

"2 months. It's been 2 months. You can't just come waltzing back into my life without an explanation!"

She didn't want to yell at him. All Aria wanted was to be held in Ezra's arms, snuggled up against his warm body. But she couldn't take him back that easily. It was too complicated.

"I know! But I didn't want to leave you, Aria, I never did," He began to explain. "I just tried to do what was best for you."

That made Aria madder than ever. "Who are you to decide that?"

Ezra took a step closer to Aria. She smelled the familiar scent of the cologne that lingered on his shirt. Looking into Aria's brown eyes he whispered, "Someone who loves you and cares for you. Aria, I'm so sorry for leaving you. It was a mistake."

He looked quickly around the hallway to make sure no one was around before moving even closer to Aria.

"I'm sorry," Ezra repeated gently.

Aria moved her face closer to his. Suddenly, they were kissing. Ezra pressed his warm lips against Aria's for the first time in too long. It was pure passion. She ran her hands through Ezra's dark hair and pulled apart slightly to look into his eyes. Ezra was smiling, an expression that mimicked exactly how Aria felt. Everything was perfect.

"Will you come over later?" Ezra asked Aria after a while.

She looked into his eyes before replying, "I would love to."

It was 3 hours later when Ezra called, asking her to come over. Within 10 minutes she was standing in front of the door to his apartment. She raised her first and knocked it against the wood a few times.

Almost immediately, Ezra opened to door. He smiled at Aria before letting her in.

"It feels nice to be back here," Aria told him.

"I'm glad. It feels nice to have you back. Actually it feels a lot more than nice"

"Wanna prove that?" She asked boldly.

Ezra moved closer to his former student, pulling his arms around her tiny waist. His lips met hers for what seemed like so long, but not long enough. They both craved more. Aria pulled Ezra towards the couch, snuggling against his body. Ezra gave her a few more kisses before pulling away. He had to be careful about what went on between the two of them, or they would both end up in trouble.

"How about some dinner?" He grinned at a pouting Aria.

"I guess," she teased.

"Pasta?"

"That sounds great!"

Ezra grabbed a silver pot from the bottom cabinet of his kitchen and filled it up with water. Turning the stove burner on, he set the pot down and moved over to the pantry. A knock on the door interrupted him before he could open the cabinet.

"Uh, just one second!" He called.

"Ezra? It's Ella!"

Ezra and Aria froze. Panicked, Aria looked over at Ezra.

"_Where should I go?" _she mouthed.

Ezra opened the door to his bathroom and motioned for her to wait behind the door. Silently, Aria hid. Alarmed, she realized that her purse was still sitting out on the couch. Before she could do anything about it, Ella was inside Ezra's apartment.

"Hi Ella..what are you doing here?"

"You left your briefcase at Rosewood, so I just came to return it to you," Aria's mom said, handing him a brown leather briefcase.

"Oh! Thank you!" Ezra told her. "Erm..is that all?"

Ella Montgomery cheek's flushed a bit as she turned to Ezra. "Actually, no. Can I use your bathroom?"


	3. Chapter 3

"Uh.." _What do I say?_ Ezra panicked.

"I'll just be a moment," Ella said sweetly, walking over to his bathroom.

Behind the wall separating Ella from her daughter, Aria was freaking out. She quickly jumped in the shower and closed the shower curtain. She lay flat against the porcelain tub. Ella Montgomery walked into the bathroom and began doing her business while Aria tried her best to not make a sound. She finished quickly enough and was soon on her way out of Ezra's apartment.

"Thank you, Ella, for bringing my briefcase"

"It was no problem, Ezra. Bye!"

"Bye," said Ezra, sighing with relief at the sight of Ella leaving. It had been a _very_ close call.

Aria walked out into the living room and plopped down on the couch, clearly relieved. Ezra sat down next to her, burying his head in his hands for a brief moment.

"Are you alright?" Aria asked Ezra, concerned.

"Not really. That could have been really bad, Aria"

"I know. But she's gone now, and there's nothing to worry about," Aria lied. There was so much to worry about. Ezra looked as though he was about to say something, but he stayed quiet. He pulled Aria into his arms, wondering why love was so hard. How could it possibly be so hard for something so right? Aria looked into his eyes, and he wondering if she was thinking about the same thing.

"What are you think about?" He asked.

"Just…us," She sighed. Aria didn't feel much like talking. In a falsely positive voice she said, "Have I ever told you how much I love you?"

Ezra looked at her smiling face and gave her a half-smile. "I love you too."

Aria snuggled up against her former teacher. She turned the TV on, not really paying attention to it.

Ezra woke up with Aria in his arms. He glanced at the clock. 3:00 AM. _Crap. _Ezra was about to wake Aria up when he was interrupted by her phone buzzing against the table. He glanced at the caller ID, wondering who would be calling her so early in the morning. Ezra was suddenly overcome by annoyance.

"I can't believe this," he muttered.

_Jason DiLaurentis _read Aria's caller ID. Ezra quickly turned the phone on silent so Aria wouldn't wake up. Why the hell was he calling? Ezra wondered. He thought for a moment before deciding to answer the call.

"Aria, I really need to talk to you," Jason's voice said urgently.

"It's Ezra."

Jason muttered something incoherent and then hung up. Ezra didn't know what to think. Had Aria gone out with him during their two months apart? Was she keeping secrets from him? He set the phone back onto the coffee table. Wishing for it to be morning, Ezra sat down on a kitchen chair. He was desperate to talk to Aria about Jason, but it wasn't the best idea to wake her up so early in the morning.

He watched as Aria turned over on his sofa, deep in sleep. Thinking it over, Ezra wondered if she should even mention this to her at all. He trusted Aria and didn't want anything to come back between them. It had been a hard 2 months, and Ezra wasn't eager to return to that. He ran his fingers through his hair before lying back down on the couch with Aria. Her long, dark hair brushed against his face, tickling it. Smiling slightly, Ezra fell back asleep.

Aria woke up to the smell of pancakes. She got up and headed over the stove where Ezra stood.

"Good morning!" Aria said sweetly.

Ezra leaned down and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. Aria pouted, looking up at him.

"Is that all I get?"

Ezra laughed and gave her another kiss, this one longer. "Better?"

"Hmm…" Aria teased. "I guess."

She sat down at his desk, fiddling with the old typewriter. Ezra handed her a plate of pancakes and a cup of coffee.

"I'm just going to jump in the shower real quick," he told her. A smile played at Aria's face. She was tempted to ask if she could join him but decided against it. _Another time ._Bored, Aria wandered around the tiny apartment. She discovered a dress of hers in the closet that she must have left there a few months ago. She changed into it, peeling off yesterday's outfit. The light floral pattern contrasted with her hair, and Aria grinned, hoping Ezra would like it. Then, she heard a ping from her phone.

"Don't be from A," she whispered to herself.

Alarmed, Aria picked up the phone.

_One New Message _it read. Warily, Aria opened the text. It was from Jason. _We need to talk._

Making sure that Ezra was still in the shower, she called Ali's brother.

"Aria? I need to tell you something about Ali."

"What?"

"She…She isn't-"

The line went dead.

"Jason?" Aria asked. "Hello?"

She lowered her phone from her ear. _Ali isn't WHAT?_

**A/N: You guys guessed it! Aria hid in the shower! Sorry for the late chapter!**


	4. Chapter 4

Aria immediately called Jason back, but the call went to voicemail. At this time, Ezra came out from his shower. A white towel wrapped around his body and water drops trickled down his abs. Aria inhaled; unfortunately, she had more pressing matters to deal with. Sensing her tension, Ezra and gave Aria a quizzical look.

"Jason called," Aria told him wearily, hoping Ezra's jealously wouldn't kick in. "He said he had to tell me something about Ali."

Ezra gave a quick sigh of relief, realizing that Aria wasn't keeping secrets from him. He decided to do the same with her.

"Jason actually called earlier…"

"What do you mean?" Aria asked.

"You were asleep, and he called. I answered the phone."

"Why didn't you tell me this earlier?" Aria looked at Ezra, annoyed. She could guess why he wouldn't tell her about Jason. "Did you _not _believe me when I told you I didn't have feelings for him?"

"Aria…I was jealous," Ezra told her truthfully.

"Clearly."

Aria walked out of his apartment, with Ezra calling after her. He slammed a nearby bookcase, mad at himself. A few books tumbled to the ground. _Great, _he thought. _Why can't I just trust her? _But Ezra knew it wasn't his entire fault. She had lied to him before, and it wasn't as if he imagined the feelings that Jason and Aria had for each other. After all, he had kissed her before. Angrily, Aria stomped into her car. She slammed her foot on the gas with one destination in mind. Aria arrived at Jason's house. Running up to the door, she pressed the doorbell._ No answer. _She pressed her finger on the button again…and again. Still no answer. Defeated, she hopped back into her car and made her way to Spencer's house. In a matter of minutes, Hanna, Emily, Spencer, and Aria were lying in Spencer's bedroom.

"Wait. What exactly did Jason tell you?" Hanna asked.

"He didn't really tell me anything. All Jason said was, 'Ali isn't'"

"Isn't what though?" Spencer said, tucking a strand of her behind her ear.

This caused Emily to speak up. "Ali isn't dead!" she cried out hopefully. The girls glared at her. It was so like Emily to believe Ali could possibly be alive. When no one responded, Emily looked at the floor.

"Well, anyway, I went to Jason's house, but he wasn't there."

"Oh-" The doorbell rang, interrupting Spencer. "I'll get it."

Spencer ran down the stairs and opened her heavy oak door. Surprise flittered across her face when she saw who stood before her.

"Ezr- Mr. Fitz!"

Her former English teacher looked slightly embarrassed and panicked at the same time. "I saw Aria's car here and…" his voice trailed off.

"I'll get her."

Spencer opened up her bedroom door and grinned. "Aria, there's a special someone here to see youuu!"

Aria had barely made it downstairs when Ezra started apologizing. She felt a little guilty knowing she had overreacted, but she accepted his apology. Pulling Aria closer, Ezra planted his lips on hers, giving her a long, sweet kiss.

_A week later:_

Aria pulled a plum-colored sweater over her and straightened her skirt that she had picked up in Iceland. It was date night with Ezra, like most Saturdays, but this one was different. Instead of a quiet night in Ezra's apartment, the couple was traveling to New York City to see a European film and have dinner in Brooklyn. A knock on her door told Aria that Ezra had arrived. Bouncing in her suede boots, Aria opened the door and welcomed her boyfriend inside.

"Hello!" Ezra beamed, pulling Aria in for a kiss.

"Hey, I need to grab my earrings really quick! Come up to my room with me?"

"Your room, huh?" He grinned slyly, following Aria up the staircase.

Aria grabbed a pair of turquoise feather earrings and put them in before she was grabbed from behind. Ezra wrapped his arms around her tiny waist and placed his lips around her neck. Aria spun around and pressed her body up against his, followed by a series of kisses.

"We should-" _Kiss_. "probably-" _Kiss_. "go or we'll miss" _Kiss_. "the film."

"Yep." Replied Ezra, dismissing Aria's statement. Their bodies remained intertwined as they laid down on Aria's daybed.

"Aria," Ezra said urgently in her ear after some time. "We need to go before your parents get home."

Reluctantly, they got up from their previously tangled position and made their way to Ezra's car with a mixture of disappointment and pleasure.

"Don't worry," said Ezra. "We can continue this tonight."

Ezra and Aria walked down the streets of New York, gazing at the tall buildings and lights around them.

"This is nice," Aria told Ezra, squeezing his hand lightly. "I like not having to hide us."

"I definitely know how you're feeling."

Ezra led Aria into the hotel where they would spending the night together. They were greeted by a blonde 20-something behind the reception desk. Her eyes glided right past Aria and landed on her boyfriend. The girl smirked.

"Hello. Two rooms for you and your sister for tonight?"

Aria glared up at the girl who, still focused on Ezra, didn't notice. "Actually, _Amanda_," Aria angrily glanced at the girl's name tag, "Me and my _fiancé_ would like a room."

Dumbstruck, the girl flushed and began entering their information into a computer while a very surprised Ezra chuckled next to her. They made their way into the elevator, and Ezra turned to Aria.

"Fiancé, huh?" He said, still laughing.

"Did you see how she was staring at you? She deserved it!"

Ezra grinned at Aria, amused at how worked up she was. Sliding his arms around her, he said gently, "No one could ever compare to you."

Aria gave him a short but passionate kiss. "I love you."

"I love you too, which is why I have a very romantic dinner planned out for us!"

The couple arrived at their room, and a very excited Aria began to get ready for their dinner. After she had curled her hair and slipped on a backless silk dress, Aria emerged from the bathroom. Ezra's mouth dropped as he mouthed "Wow" at his stunning girlfriend.

"That dress is not fair!"

Aria beamed and grabbed her purse. "Ready to go?"

"Yep!"

With this reply, Ezra and Aria left the hotel and took a taxi to the Italian restaurant Ezra had made reservations at. Paying their taxi driver, the couple climbed out of the car. Prepared for a relaxing night, Ezra and Aria were shocked at who they saw in front of them. Byron Montgomery.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Sorry, it's been a while since I've posted! I just want to thank everyone who has been reviewing because they mean so much and help a ton with motivation and just making me feel good :)**

Byron Montgomery stood a short 10 feet in front of Ezra and Aria, his back now facing them. Very fortunately for the couple, Aria's dad hadn't noticed them. Aria clutched on to Ezra's hand as they cautiously made it around the corner, far from Byron's view.

"What the hell is he doing here?" Ezra asked Aria, panicked.

"I don't know! He didn't say anything about traveling this weekend!"

Aria looked at her boyfriend, who was clearly freaking out. He wouldn't stop pacing the sidewalk until Aria suggested taking a taxi back to the hotel. After a seemingly endless ride to Ezra, the couple made it back to their hotel room. Ezra inhaled deeply, trying to regain composure. It wasn't helping. He glanced at Aria, acknowledging her presence next to him. She was stroking his arm in an attempt to comfort him, but Ezra could see a look of panic in her eyes.

"Aria?" He asked her gently.

"Are you okay?"

"Yep!" Ezra saw right through her. Not for the first time, Aria was attempting to be strong for the both of them.

"Well, I'm not at all, if that helps," he told her.

"Not really."

Ezra put his arm around Aria's shoulders and pulled her in to his body. He leaned over and softly apologized for yelling at her earlier. Guiding her to their bed, Ezra gave her a kiss on her forehead.

"Let's go to bed" he told her.

Aria smiled up at her boyfriend and felt the worry begin to go away. She snuggled up against him and pulled the covers over their bodies.

"Goodnight Ezra"

A ringing phone woke Ezra and Aria up. Ezra, being closest, grabbed it from the table. The caller ID showed it to be from Byron Montgomery. Ezra nudged Aria and handed her the ringing phone.

"Your father," he informed her. Aria sat up suddenly. She got out of bed and quickly covered herself up, as if he could see her.

"Hi Byron," she said into the receiver.

"Aria, hi! How's Spencer's?"

Aria stopped momentarily, forgetting her excuse for being gone this weekend.

"Fun! Yeah, it's been really nice. What have you been up to?" Aria was curious to hear his response.

"Me? I've just been around the house and at the office."

That was a lie. They had seen him in New York. But why was he sneaking around? Cautiously, Aria asked her father why he had called.

"No reason. Just wanted to know how it's going at _Spencer's_ house."

Did she imagine the emphasis on Spencer's? No, Byron was definitely hinting at something. Saying bye to her father, Aria ended the phone call. Her attention turned to Ezra, who asked her why Byron had called. Not wanting to worry Ezra, she told him it was simply to check up on her.

A ping brought her attention back to her phone.

_If I were you, I'd keep an eye on dear old dad. You're not the only one keeping secrets. -A_


	6. Chapter 6

Aria walked through her front door and made her way up to her bedroom.

"Well, that weekend didn't exactly go as planned," she said to herself.

Aria was home alone and, luckily, it gave her some time to go over her thoughts. Her father was acting suspicious and A definitely knew what was up. Lost in thought, she began to pace around her room, touching things aimlessly. Her fingers glided over the large stack of books that occupied her bookcase and stopped at one of her favorites.

_To Kill a Mockingbird_

Not only was it a great book, but she had so many early memories of her relationship with Ezra tied to it. All the struggles they had to go through to reach where they were today, and nothing was going to change that. Not A, her dad, or anyone else. Their love was pure and good, and ending it would be a sin. Just like the death of the innocent Tom Robinson. But the world was against them; the world was Bob Ewell.

When her dad came home, Aria tried her best not to act suspicious. The weekend had been like a lot of others, but this time Aria knew she had to be extra careful.

"Did you have fun these last few days with your friends?"

Aria tucked a dark strand of hair behind a feather-clad ear and smiled, "Yeah, it was fun!"

"I bet it was. Did you girls go out much or just stay at home?"

This caused Aria to freeze ever so slightly. She had to come up with the least suspecting answer, but all that came out was "A little bit of both." Byron motioned for his daughter to take the seat next to her while he grabbed a chair for himself.

"Here's the deal, Aria. I received a letter at work a few days ago telling me to show up at a restaurant in New York because you would be in some sort of trouble. Naturally, my concern for you led me to go-"

"Wait, you went to New York City?" Aria exclaimed in fake astonishment.

Byron blushed but continued. "Yes, but it was a complete waste of time…and I should have asked you about it instead of running off to New York."

"Yeah, probably!" Aria gave a fake giggle. "But I have no idea why someone would send a note like that." Liar.

"Yeah, me either. It must have been some sort of prank."

Aria, feeling very relieved, excused herself from their conversation and went back up to her room. There was only one thing still bothering her and it was whether or not she should tell Ezra about the note. She really didn't want him to worry or fear going out with her in public, but she knew that if she was in his shoes, she would definitely want the truth.

Feeling pretty guilty, Aria decided to keep A's note to herself. Sure, lying to her parents was one thing, but her boyfriend? In hopes of easing the guilt, Aria grabbed her phone and sent Ezra a text.

"Justing thinking of you & missing you already. I love you. xoxo Aria"

A short reply came back moments later, but it still meant the world to her.

"Love you always"


End file.
